Vehicle, particularly bus, having a lower deck and an upper deck



Sept 18, 1952 A. H. MULLER VEHICLE. PARTICULARLY BUS, HAVING A LWE'R DECK AND AN UPPER DECK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 25, 1960 ALFED er a( Sepf- 18,1962 A. H. MULLER 3,054,469

VEHICLE. PARTICULAELY Bus, HAVING A LOWER DECK'IAND AN UPPER DECK Filed Aug. 25, 1960 2 sheets-sheet 2 .'7/2 ven for ALF ED /L MLLER 6)/ VM 7( M ATTo/V 5 ilnited States 3,054,469 VEHKCLE, PARTICULARLY BUS, HAVING A LOWER DECK AND AN UPPER DECK Alfred H. Mller, Waiblingen, Germany, assigner to Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft, Stuttgart-Unterturkheim, Germany Filed Aug. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 511,874 Claims priority, application Germany Sept. 1, 1959 3 Claims. (Cl. 18d-64) My invention relates to a Vehicle, more particularly to a motor bus, having a lower deck and an upper deck and, more especially, to an improved disposition of the motor assembly in relation to a stairway connecting the decks.

It is the object of my invention to so re-organize the various elements of the vehicle including the stairway connecting the decks and the motor assembly that as large a number of passenger seats as possible can be accommodated in a vehicle of given dimensions and that large and unobstructed entrances and exits may be provided without interference with the stairway and the motor assembly and that a flight of stairs aiords the passengers' convenient ascent to the upper deck and descent to the lower deck, the total height of the vehicle being a minimum without unduly curtailing ythe distance of the roof and of the lower deck from the upper deck, the resulting center of gravity of the entire vehicle being favorably disposed.

These objects have not been attained heretofore in a satisfactory manner.

Where the motor assembly is disposed in the `front portion of the vehicle adjacent to the drivers seat, it interferes with the provision of said front portion with a door for the entrance and exit of passengers. Where the motor assembly is provided in the rear portion of the vehicle in lateral position, it permits a door to be provided in such rear section but obstructs such door to a certain extent. Where the motor assembly is disposed below the floor of the lower deck of the vehicle, this :door must be necessarily `disposed at a rather high level which is particularly undesirable in vehicles having a lower deck and an upper deck. Moreover, the power output of the motor assembly is restricted by its limited height.

Further objects of my invention and the manner in which these objects have been attained will -appear from a detailed description of a preferred embodiment of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that my invention is in no way limited to such details but is capable of numerous modilications within the scope of the appended claims and that the terms and phrases used in such detailed description have been chosen for the purpose of explaining rather than that of restricting or limiting my invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a partial side view of a motor bus designed in accordance with my invention,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the chassis of the motor bus illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 is a sectional View, the section being taken substantially along the broken line III-III shown in FIG. l.

The chassis of the motor bus illustrated in FIG. 2 comprises a pair of parallel longitudinal beams and 11 formed by channel bars and a plurality of transverse beams, such as beams 12, 13, 14 and 15, 'which are intersected by and rigidly connected to the longitudinal beams 10 and 11. Moreover, the chassis includes a front axle having single wheels 16 and l17 and a rear Patented Sept. 18, 1962 axle ,-18 which carries twin wheels 19 and 20 and includes the housing of a rear-axle transmission 21.

The body carried by the chassis is composed of substantially plane and parallel upright side walls 22 and 23 (FIGURE 3), a front wall 24, a rear wall 25 and a slightly domed roof 26. The interior of the body is subdivided by a horizontal partition 27 which is disposed substantially half-way between the floor 23 yand the roof 26 and constitutes the upper deck of the vehicle provided with rows of passenger seats 29. The drivers seat 30 and the steering wheel in front thereof are disposed in the left-hand front corner of the body directly in front of the wheel 17.

A stairway 31 connects the central portion of the lower deck 28 with the upper deck 27. The lower section of this stairway 31 is composed of steps 32, 33 and 34 each of which extends in the longitudinal direction oi the bus between the central vertical longitudinal plane and the wall 23, the lowermost step 32 being closest to the centr-al plane, whereas the uppermost step 34 of this group of steps adjoins the wall 23. Two groups of steps 35 and 36, FIG. l, lead from the step 34 forwardly and rearwardly, respectively, to aisles 37 and 38 associated with the upper deck `and extending along the side Iwall 23 so as to afford convenient access to the rows of seats 29.

A wide exit opening 39 adapted to be closed by foldable door sections 40 `and 41 is provided in the wall 22 opposite to the steps 32, 33 and 34. An entrance door 42 `adapted to be closed by a foldable door 43 is provided in the front portion of side wall 22 in front of wheel 16. Passenger seats 44 `are provided on the floor 23 in convenient relationship to the stairway and to the entrance and exits. Another exit 45 adapted to be closed by a foldable door 46 may be provided in the rear section of the side wall 22, if desired.

A motor assembly A composed of an internal combustion engine 47 having at least one row of cylinders and of a speed-change transmission 48 disposed in front thereof is accommodated within the chamber R confined yby the lower section 32-34 of the stairway, the longitudinal beam -11 and the side wall 23. Hence, it will appear, that the motor assembly 47, 48 is disposed near the center of the bus laterally of the central, vertical, longitudinal plane of the bus so as to be intersected by a plane coinciding with the lower deck. The longitudinal axis L of the motor assembly 47, 48 extends horizontally parallel to the central, vertical, longitudinal plane of the Vehicle.

For connecting the motor assembly with the rear-axle transmission 21 I have mounted an auxiliary transmission 49 on the longitudinal chassis beam 11 in front of and spaced from the motor assembly. This auxiliary transmission is connected with the speed-change transmission 48 by a shaft 50 which includes a pair of universal joints. Moreover, I have provided suitable means including a shaft 5l for connecting the auxiliary transmission 49 with the rear-axle transmission 21. More particularly, such means comprises a bearing housing 52 mounted on the transverse beam 14 and accommodating a horizontal stud shaft which is connected by the shaft 51 and a pair of universal joints to the auxiliary transmission 49 `and is connected by a shaft 53 and a pair of universal joints with the rear-axle transmission 21. 'Ihe auxiliary transmission 49 preferably includes a pair of stud shafts and meshing spur gears rigidly mounted thereon.

The disposition of the speed-change transmission 48 in front of the internal combustion engine 47 affords the advantageous possibility of mounting a row of seats 54 facing in forward direction directly above the transmission 48.

vFrom the above description it will appear that the space beneath the vsection 32-34 of the stairway has been utilized for the accommodation of the motor assembly. As a result, the motor assembly does not interfere with the ,provision of any ofthe other elements .of the vehicle.

T he Y.embodiment described hereinabove is capable of numerous modifications. Thus, the vehicle may be constructed -as a railway vehicle by substituting railway wheels-for the wheels havingpneumatic Itires. My invention isalso applicable to trolley cars'and to motor boats.

From the `foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove .set forth, together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the disposition.

While the invention has been described in connection with ka preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that itis Acapable of further modification, and this application is kintended to cover any variations, uses, or -adaptations of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention and including'such departures from the present ydisclosure as come vwithin known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains, and as fall within the scope of the invention or the-limits of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a vehicle having a lower deck and an upper deck, the combination comprising a motor assembly including an internal combustion engine and a change-speed transmission mounted in front of said engine, said motor assembly being disposed near the center of said Vehicle laterally ofthe central, vertical, longitudinal plane of the vehicle sowas to be intersected by a plane coinciding with said lower deck, said motor assembly having a longitudinal axis 'extending essentiallypar-allel to said central, vertical, lonigtudinal gplane, a stairway leading yfrom said lower deck to said upper deck and having a lower section extending over said motor assembly, ysaid lower section including a plurality of steps each extending essentially in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, an auxiliary transmission below said lower deck and in front of said change-speed transmission, a shaft connecting said auxiliary transmission to said change-speed transmission, a rear axle transmission, and means including shaft means connecting said auxiliary transmission .with said rear axle transmission.

2. In a vehicle Jhaving a lower deck yand an upper deck, the combination comprising a motor assembly'including an internal combustion engine and a changespeed transmission mounted in front of said engine, a stairway leading lfrom said lower deck intermediate the longitudinal ends thereof to said upper deck, said stairway having a lower section extending substantially transversely to the longitudinal direction of said Vehicle, said motor assembly being positioned beneath said lower section of said stairway and at least partially nabove the plane of a floor lportion of said lower deck, said motor assembly having its longitudinal yaxis extending essentially in the .longitudinal direction of the vehicle, an auxiliary transmission disposed in front of said changespeed transmission, a `shaft connecting said change-speed transmission to VSaid auxiliary transmission, a rear axle transmission, and means connecting said auxiliary transmission to said rear axle transmission.

3. The combination defined in claim 2, lfurther comprising forwardly facing seat means positioned essentially directly above said change-speed transmission.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,592,269 Horine July 13, 1926 2,039,215 Fageol Apr. 28, 1936 2,046,859 Weiss et al.y July 7, 1936 2,532,057 Carlson et al Nov. 28, 1950 

